बिंदी (bindii)
noun
Refers primarily to the decorative dot worn on the forehead; also has an extended, less common sense as a small dot/mark or dot-shaped diacritic. Also spelled बिन्दी (bindii) with the full nasal consonant instead of the anusvaar -- both are common.
Sense
1
:
the forehead dot worn by women
noun, feminine
Synonyms: टीका (tiikaa, often the red ceremonial dot applied for tilak/rituals rather than everyday fashion), टिकुली (tikulii, regional/colloquial)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In Delhi you will see every kind of बिंदी (bindii) -- the tiny red dot a married woman wears daily, and the big glittery stick-on ones that go with a lehenga for a wedding or festival. It is one of those items that carries both deep traditional meaning (marking the 'third eye' or a married woman's status in some communities) and pure fashion, often at the very same time.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes assume बिंदी (bindii) is only a Hindu religious marker; in everyday urban use it is very often just a fashion accessory, worn or not worn by choice, independent of any ritual meaning. 2) Don't confuse with टीका (tiikaa), which usually refers to the specific dot applied during a puja or ceremony (often with kumkum/sindoor), rather than the general decorative sticker-bindi worn daily.
Sample Sentences:
उसने लाल रंग की बिंदी लगाई है।
She has put on a red bindi.
(usne laal rang kii bindii lagaaii hai।)
मेरी नानी रोज़ छोटी सी काली बिंदी लगाती हैं।
My grandmother wears a small black bindi every day.
(merii naanii roz chhotii sii kaalii bindii lagaatii hain।)
शादी के लिए उसने लहंगे के साथ बड़ी चमकीली बिंदी पहनी।
For the wedding she wore a big glittery bindi with her lehenga.
(shaadii ke lie usne lahange ke saath badii chamkiilii bindii pahnii।)
बिंदी लगाओ, वरना फोटो में कुछ अधूरा लगेगा।
Put on a bindi, otherwise something will look incomplete in the photo.
(bindii lagaao, varnaa photo men kuchh adhooraa lagegaa।)
बाज़ार में तरह-तरह की बिंदियाँ बिक रही थीं।
All kinds of bindis were being sold in the market.
(baazaar men tarah-tarah kii bindiyaan bik rahii thiin।)
अगर उसकी बिंदी थोड़ी छोटी होती तो ज़्यादा अच्छी लगती।
If her bindi were a little smaller, it would look better.
(agar uskii bindii thodii chhotii hotii to zyaadaa achchhii lagtii।)
कुछ समुदायों में बिंदी विवाहित स्त्री की पहचान मानी जाती है।
In some communities, the bindi is considered a mark of a married woman's identity.
(kuchh samudaayon men bindii vivaahit strii kii pahchaan maanii jaatii hai।)
क्या तुम्हारे पास कोई सुनहरी बिंदी है जो इस साड़ी के साथ जाए?
Do you have any golden bindi that would go with this sari?
(kyaa tumhaare paas koii sunahrii bindii hai jo is saadii ke saath jaae?)
बिंदी को तीसरे नेत्र का प्रतीक भी माना जाता है।
The bindi is also considered a symbol of the third eye.
(bindii ko tiisre netr kaa pratiik bhii maanaa jaataa hai।)
उसकी बिंदी पसीने में फिसल कर टेढ़ी हो गई थी।
Her bindi had slipped in the sweat and gone crooked.
(uskii bindii pasiine men phisal kar tedhii ho gaii thii।)
काश मैं भी उतनी खूबसूरत बिंदी लगा पाती जितनी उसने लगाई थी।
I wish I could have worn as beautiful a bindi as she did.
(kaash main bhii utnii khoobsoorat bindii lagaa paatii jitnii usne lagaaii thii।)
Sense
2
:
a small dot or point (general/extended use)
noun, feminine
Synonyms: बिंदु (bindu, more formal/mathematical), नुक्ता (nuktaa, specifically the diacritic dot under a letter)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This sense shows up less in daily chit-chat and more in contexts like describing a pattern, a map marking, or a printed dot -- for the precise mathematical 'point,' most speakers reach for बिंदु (bindu) instead.
Sample Sentences:
इस कपड़े पर छोटी-छोटी लाल बिंदियाँ बनी हैं।
This cloth has tiny red dots printed on it.
(is kapde par chhotii-chhotii laal bindiyaan banii hain।)
नक्शे पर हर शहर के लिए एक बिंदी लगाई गई है।
A dot has been marked on the map for every city.
(nakshe par har shahar ke lie ek bindii lagaaii gaii hai।)
कृपया जहाँ बिंदी बनी है, वहीं दस्तखत कीजिए।
Please sign right where the dot is marked.
(kripyaa jahaan bindii banii hai, vahiin dastkhat kiijie।)
पहले प्रिंटर हर पन्ने के कोने में एक छोटी बिंदी छोड़ देता था।
The printer used to leave a small dot in the corner of every page.
(pahle printar har panne ke kone men ek chhotii bindii chhod detaa thaa।)
अगर वह बिंदी थोड़ी और बड़ी होती, तो निशान साफ दिखता।
If that dot had been a bit bigger, the mark would have been clearly visible.
(agar vah bindii thodii aur badii hotii, to nishaan saaph dikhtaa।)
डिज़ाइनर ने साड़ी की बॉर्डर पर सुनहरी बिंदियाँ बनाईं।
The designer made golden dots along the border of the sari.
(dizaainar ne saadii kii bordar par sunahrii bindiyaan banaaiin।)
क्या तुम इस बिंदी को थोड़ा और गहरा कर सकते हो?
Can you make this dot a little darker?
(kyaa tum is bindii ko thodaa aur gahraa kar sakte ho?)
मानचित्र पर बिंदी उसी जगह लगाई जानी चाहिए जहाँ नदी मुड़ती है।
The dot on the map should be placed exactly where the river bends.
(maanchitr par bindii usii jagah lagaaii jaanii chaahie jahaan nadii mudtii hai।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
बिंदी
(bindii)
(sg.f.oblique):
बिंदी
(bindii)
(pl.f.direct):
बिंदियाँ
(bindiyaan)
(pl.f.oblique):
बिंदियों
(bindiyon)